Former 115 lb title challenger Claudia Gadelha has been removed from her scheduled bout against Yan Xiaonan set for UFC 253. Chiefly, a report by Combate relayed a knee injury being the contributor of her removal from the stacked September 26 card. The fight was a prime opportunity for the Brazilian to secure her first three-fight streak in the promotion.

Knee injuries have been a recurring narrative in her career, as they have sidelined her in the past. Following her win over Carla Esparza, Gadelha underwent surgery for an LCL injury to her right knee that benched her for a while. She has reportedly moved out to the UFC Performance Institute in Las Vegas to seek proper treatment.

UFC 253 is headlined by Israel Adesanya, who is set to defend his middleweight strap against Paulo Costa. The fight has been generating a massive buzz and would have certainly put a spotlight on Gadelha’s match. Her exclusion from the card means that the UFC will explore other options for the Chinese prospect.

UFC Strawweights: Claudia Gadelha and Yan Xiaonan

The 18-4 fighter is on a two-fight win streak with wins over Randa Markos and Angela Hill in her previous outings. So far, she has not won three consecutive fights in her UFC career. Gadelha is a top-ranked fighter in the promotion and has been stable in the 115 lb division.

Yan ‘Fury’ Xiaonan is undefeated for almost a decade of her professional career. Her UFC resume includes decision wins over high caliber competition. And she was keen to add Gadelha to her growing list. Her presence in the weight class poses a huge threat to divisional veterans.

Depending on the trajectory of their respective careers, the bout might be rescheduled for a later date. The fight posed certain stylistic questions that would have offered interesting looks under the bright lights of the cage. Moreover, it would have determined the future contender in the weight class.

The divisional champion in Zhang Weili has set the standards extremely high in her performances inside the cage.